I Wore Gigi Hadid's Crazy Long Side Braid For a Day and It Ruined Me
I don't know if there's any it-girl I am more obsessed with than Gigi Hadid. She's got it all: Zayn, perfect style, gorgeous hair, Zayn, a killer runway walk, oh and did I mention Zayn? Gigi is the kind of girl who can make sweatpants look chicer than my prom dress.
So when I came across this photo of Gigi looking flawless while going for a walk in New York City, I decided that I wanted to be her for a day. This retro side pony braid thing-y is goals. It can't be that hard to pull off, right?
1. Transforming into Gigi
I called my friends at RPZL, a salon in New York City known for hair extensions. When I brought this photo to them, they were beyond obsessed. They did mention that it would be a challenge to get it that length and that it would feel heavy, but that didn't stop me. I was going to leave that place looking as magically gorgeous as my girl Gigi.
To complete the look, they gave me clip-in hair extensions. My hair is pretty long and thick to begin with, but there's nothing wrong with more volume.
After putting a bunch of clip-in extensions in my hair, the stylist swooped it up into a high, side ponytail. For a while, I contemplated just leaving with this look. I felt like Beyoncé.
When I saw the finished look, I was obsessed. It wasn't as long as I wanted it to be, but it was super cute. Even my mom was into it.
2. I was on a mission: MORE HAIR
As much as I loved this look, my inner Disney princess wanted to be Rapunzel so badly. My hair HAD to be longer. It was super-long-Rapunzel-Gigi-side-braid or bust. I asked my friends at Seventeen's sister magazine Cosmopolitan if they had any clip-in extensions lying around (since that kind of thing seems normal at Cosmo), and sure enough, they did. Like all big sisters do, they supported my dreams wholeheartedly.
My coworker Kelsey, Seventeen's beauty writer and resident DIY expert, helped me braid the extensions in. We had to re-do the braid four times because we couldn't quite nail the length or thickness. But when we finally got it down, it was everything.
3. Going out into the real world to ~do things~
While I imagine Gigi wears her braid to do cool things like meet up with Kendall Jenner or makeout with Zayn, I did normal-people things. At first, most people didn't really react. A few people around the office gave me awkward smiles. I am pretty sure the cashier at McDonald's thought I was insane, but probably secretly wanted a badass long side braid, too.
After a while, I started to get the craziest headache. It literally felt like my hair weighed five pounds. How does Gigi - or any other celebrity - do it? But I pressed on.
4. An insanely long braid is the secret to selfies
Gigi would obviously post a selfie, so I did the same. My Instagram followers were feeling it. I kept getting so many compliments! I mean, I never thought I'd look this cool drinking a Dunkin' Donuts iced latte. I kept getting awkward stares while I was taking a photo outside of Dunkin' Donuts, but I feel like it's because people thought I was important, like Gigi. Only important people wear hairstyles like this.
5. The pain. THE PAINNNNN
Here's the truth: I couldn't get to the end of the day with this thing. There were so many hair extensions on my head and it was all so heavy, like when you wear enormous earrings and have to stick them in your purse halfway through the day. Gigi probably wore this to go for a walk and then immediately took it off. If not, then she's probably superhuman. I thought I could be Gigi Hadid for a day, but it turns out Gigi = RED HOT SEARING PAIN.
6. But I haven't felt this confident in a while
At first, I felt strange in this hairstyle, but it turns out that is most likely because it weighed five pounds and was making me dizzy. At the end of the day, though, I started to feel really pretty and confident. I couldn't stop taking selfies and and posing for pictures every chance I got. It felt good knowing I could pull off something so edgy. I would totally wear this hairstyle again for my birthday, as long as I remember to bring some Advil with me.
You Might Also Like
